melancholic

adjective

mel·​an·​chol·​ic ˌme-lən-ˈkä-lik 

1

: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed

2

: of or relating to melancholia

3

: tending to depress the spirits : saddening

melancholic noun

Synonyms of melancholic

• sad
• depressed
• unhappy
• melancholy
• heartbroken
• miserable
• mournful
• bad
• sorrowful
• sorry

Examples of melancholic in a Sentence

she becomes quite melancholic when she reflects on all the lost opportunities of her life

Recent Examples on the Web

Back in 2021, the child actress stepped into the pop world with her melancholic debut single and drove straight into the stratosphere. —Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2026

Just like the hazy days post-Christmas and pre-New Year’s in which the film takes place, Boys Go to Jupiter is dreamy, melancholic, and steeped in blurry sentimentality. —Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025

Rógan Graham received the best director honor for his melancholic road movie Blindsight. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025

Following the original video, the shelter continued to share updates on Betty’s story—often featuring her alone in the shelter, accompanied by melancholic music—prompting more support and comments from viewers online. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malencolic, melancolyk "consisting of or caused by black bile, irascible, gloomy," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French melancolique, borrowed from Latin melancholicus, borrowed from Greek melancholikós, from melancholía "black bile, melancholy entry 1" + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for melancholic

• alcoholic
• anabolic
• apostolic
• catabolic
• cytosolic
• diabolic
• diastolic
• ethanolic
• hyperbolic
• metabolic
• methanolic
• parabolic

Medical Definition

melancholic

1 of 2 adjective

mel·​an·​chol·​ic ˌmel-ən-ˈkäl-ik 

1

: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed

2

: of or relating to melancholia

melancholic

2 of 2 noun

1

: a melancholy person

2

: melancholiac